When great design inspires healthy living, there’s not much more we
can ask for. Y Water’s perfect union combines a cool and kid-friendly,
100% recyclable bottle with removable, biodegradable labeling and
a flavored, vitamin- and mineral-rich, low-sugar, organic beverage.
Once empty, the container becomes a toy that kids can link to other
bottles through biodegradable, connectable rubber “Y knots,” letting
them create spaceships, animals, robots, or whatever else their
imaginations can dream up. When all is said and done, parents can
log onto www.ywater.us and receive a free mailer to send the bottle
back for recycling.

The cheery Y-shape inspired the drink’s name, a playful riff on two
of the most commonly asked kiddie questions: “Why?” and “Why
not?” As Y-Water designer Yves Béhar says, “The brand, the bottle,
the graphics, the name … everything is one, connected by the idea
of giving a smarter, healthier and much more fun experience. The
category is so bland, so un-original … but kids are open-minded to
new and creative things, and that is what we wanted to give them.”

To read my full review for Clear Magazine, click here.

Check out my interview with Dutch designer Marcel Wanders for Clear Magazine‘s December issue here. Marcel was a real pleasure, speaking about his new retrospective exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (his first major solo show in the US), how he’s changed as a designer over the last two decades, his latest collaborations, and what he’s learned in his career thus far….

*images courtesy of Marcel Wanders Studio and Clear Magazine

Clear’s digital winter issue is up online now at www.clearmag.com. We’re really excited – and I’m personally pretty proud – to have collaborated with Designer of the Year Maarten Baas on the cover for the special Design Miami/Art Basel issue!

In addition to Mr. Baas, the new issue features profiles of and new projects by the likes of Marcel Wanders, Konstantin Grcic, Anna Sui, Yves Behar, Front Design, Mariko Mori, Theo Jansen and many more!

Personal Edition Crochet Chair by Marcel Wanders

This November, the Philadelphia Museum of Art welcomes visionary Dutch designer Marcel Wanders in a self-designed, self-curated exhibition called “Marcel Wanders: Daydreams.” This will be a dreamlike, multimedia installation of objects personally selected by Wanders to represent pivotal points in his 20+ year career. Video images, lighting, and sound will illuminate his creative development over the years.

New films—detailing Wanders’s design process and philosophy in projects ranging from manufactured products, hotel interiors, and design art—will also make their public debut at the retrospective. The films’ soundscapes will provide Wanders’s personal views on design.

“Marcel Wanders: Daydreams”
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Curated by Kathryn Hiesinger
November 22, 2009- June 13, 2010

For more information, visit Philadelphia Museum of Art.
And look for my interview w/Wanders coming up in the next issue of Clear Magazine!

Check out my review of photographer Sally Mann’s amazing new Gagosian exhibit/Aperture book, “Proud Flesh,” at Clearmag.com! Thanks!